Polynesian mythology Polynesian mythology encompasses the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia (a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian Triangle) together with those of the scattered cultures known as the Polyne ...

, stories about Tinirau are found throughout the

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

s of

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

. He is a guardian of

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

. Many themes recur in the various versions. Often he travels to another land in search of his

wife A wife (: wives) is a woman in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until their marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgment; or until death, depending on the kind of marriage. On t ...

, or his wife travels to another land in search of him; sometimes he treats his wife badly, or she rejects him; while he is guardian of fish, it is his wife who gives the fish their individual characteristics. Sometimes their anxious or jealous relatives try to separate the lovers (Tremewan 2002:120). In some traditions, he has a dual nature; one destructive as the guardian of

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

s, and one a kind, handsome male youth; in others, his right side is human and his left side is a fish. Alternate names in the various Polynesian languages include

Kinilau In Hawaiian mythology, Kinilau is the son of Menehune, son of Luanu’u. Hawaiians claim descent from the youngest of the twelve sons of Kinilau-a-mano (Tregear 1891:513). See also * Tinirau In Polynesian mythology, stories about Tinirau are ...

, Sinilau, Tigilau, and Tinilau.

In Samoa

Stories about Tinilau (or Tigilau) and his wife Sina are very popular in Samoa. There are numerous legends, and much variation in the tellings (Tremewan 2002:157). Here are some examples: * Tinilau lends his two turtles to ‘Ae, a Tongan. When he gets home, ‘Ae kills the turtles and has a great feast for his people. When a bloody wave washes up on the beach, Tinilau calls a meeting of all the avenging gods of Savaii. The gods go to

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

and pick 'Ae up, and return him to the house of Tinilau. When ‘Ae wakes up, he hears the rooster crowing, and it reminds him of the one he heard when he was staying with Tinilau. 'Ae, not knowing that he is in Tinilau's house, begins talking about “the pig, my master”. At once he is killed and eaten (Tregear 1891:110, Tremewan 2002:157). * ‘Ae of Tonga comes to visit Tigilau and returns with Tigilau's two turtles, Toga, whom he kills, and Utuutu, who gets away. A

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

named Supa catches ‘Ae and brings him back to Samoa to be killed by Tigilau (Tremewan 2002:157). *Sina rejects offers of marriage from the kings of Tonga and

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

, instead seeking out Tigilau, who lives with his many wives. One day, Tigilau goes out fishing, and one of the jealous wives steals Sina's soul. To get it back, Tigilau travels to the sun (Tremewan 2002:157). * The

for the wedding feast of Sina and Tigilau are swallowed by one of Tigilau's other wives. Tigilau blames Sina and banishes her to the forest with two servants. When he hears what has happened to his sister, Lupe flies to her home, his arrival throwing the whole land into shadow. He presents fine mats as gifts for her wedding. Sina sings a song complaining about her harsh treatment, asking to be taken away. Tigilau overhears and kills his wives, telling Lupe that he wants Sina to return to him. When he visits his son in a house near to Sina's, he becomes jealous when he sees how many suitors are visiting Sina. At last, Sina returns to live with Tigilau for her son's sake (Tremewan 2002:157).

References

*E.R. Tregear, ''Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary'' (Lyon and Blair: Lambton Quay, Wellington), 1891. *C. Tremewan, ''Traditional Stories from Southern New Zealand: He Kōrero nō Te Wai Pounamu'' (

Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies The Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies (MBC) is a research centre on Pacific Studies within the University of Canterbury. It was founded in 1988 from a bequest of Professor John Macmillan Brown. Their mission statement is:To promote and a ...

: Christchurch), 2002.

External links

*{{Commonscatinline, Tinirau (gods) Polynesian gods Sea and river gods Mangaia mythology